In high-tech capital, this old barn sits
State seeks to preserve farming's past
SEATTLE -- A 20-mile ride in almost any direction outside the limits of this sophisticated 21st-century city will bring you face to face with a remnant of its agricultural past -- big, old barns.
Seattle's King County is better known these days as a high-tech capital and the home of pioneering businesses such as
But before Bill Gates, there were hops and berry farms and dairies across the county's 200 square miles. Now King County and the state of Washington are stepping up efforts to save the barns that once anchored them.
The county is offering grants to owners of the historic barns under its new Heritage Barn Preservation program. In May, Governor Christine Gregoire signed legislation creating a State Heritage Barn Register, which will eventually offer preservation grants.
Thirteen states on the East Coast and in the Midwest have some type of historic barn program. In the West, Colorado and now Washington have programs to protect their barns.
"We don't really know how many historic barns we have in the county," says Julie Koler, King County's preservation officer. "We are hoping to start an inventory process soon, but we know that there are more than 100 out there."
King County encompasses Seattle, Bellevue, and Redmond and rural areas including Vashon and Camano islands, the Snoqualmie and Green River valleys, Enumclaw and Black Diamond.
"Development pressure is changing the area," says Koler. "We have to act if we are going to be able to preserve any piece of the agricultural heritage these barns embody."
To be considered historic under the program guidelines, a barn must be more than 40 years old, have been built for agricultural purposes, and be "characterized by historic appearance and historic materials."
Bob Seana has owned his farm near Fall City for 15 years. A 60-year-old barn initially drew him to the property.
"I saw that barn, and I had to have it," he said. "The barn is white, four stories high. The lower floor, and then a three-story hay loft above. It's 1,600 square feet . . . Just this amazing space."
Seana holds dances in the barn -- which plays host to 60 to 100 guests -- and envisions turning it into a community center, a place for Sunday potlucks and charity events.
Though his is a working farm and he describes himself as a "farmer," Seana is employed as an engineer to support his farming dream.
"Everyone out here, we have to do something else, but at heart, I'm a farmer," he says.
Seana says that's why the support from the county is so important.
"I've got a lot of rust on the roof. I am hoping to change the roof this year, and the grant would really help with that."
The county grants will range from $5,000 to $15,000.Preserving old barns has been a mission on the East Coast and in the Midwest for decades.
Barn Again, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Successful Farming magazine, formed in 1987. At that time, old barns were considered doomed, said program spokeswoman Amy Cole.
"It turned into a very successful program for us," Cole said. "We get calls from people looking for information every day on our hot line, and we do a lot of outreach work, through states and local groups."
Cole says that interest in barn preservation is increasing in the West.
Robert Crittendon, 76, a retired public relations executive, spent four years traveling around the West documenting the stories of historic barns. His book "Barn in the U.S.A.," published last year, is a tribute to the culture of barns, he said.
A San Clemente, Calif., resident, Crittendon has never been a farmer and is quick to say he isn't a preservation expert.
"Barns evoke simpler times," he said. "They hold a unique place in the heart of America. I've never been quite sure why, but it's something that a lot of us seem to feel." 